The Reconstructed School | Page 4

level in
order that he may gain a wider view. He is disdainful and intolerant of
whatever lies beyond his horizon, and his attitude, if not his words,
repeats the question of the culpable Cain, "Am I my brother's keeper?"
He is encased in an armor that is impervious to ordinary appeal. He is
satisfied with himself and asks merely to be let alone. He is quite
content to be held fast bound in his traditional moorings without any
feeling of sympathy for the world as a whole.

The reverse side of the picture reveals the teacher who is world-minded.
Such a teacher is never less than magnanimous; intolerance has no
place in his scheme of life; he is in sympathy with all nations in their
progress toward light and right; and he is interested in all world
progress whether in science, in art, in literature, in economics, in
industry, or in education. To this end he is careful to inform himself as
to world movements and notes with keen interest the trend and
development of civilization. Being a world-citizen himself, he strives,
in his school work, to develop in his pupils the capacity and the desire
for world-citizenship. With no abatement of thoroughness in the work
of his school, he still finds time to look up from his tasks to catch the
view beyond his own national boundaries. If the superintendent who is
world-minded has the hearty coöperation of teachers who are also
world-minded, together they will be able to develop a plan of education
that is world-wide. To produce teachers of this type may require a
readjustment and reconstruction of the work of colleges and training
schools to the end that the teachers they send forth may measure up to
the requirements of this world-wide concept of education. But these
institutions can hardly hope to be immune to the process of
reconstruction. They can hardly hope to cite the past as a guide for the
future, for traditional lines are being obliterated and new lines are being
marked out for civilization, including education in its larger and newer
import.

CHAPTER TWO
THE PAST AS RELATED TO THE PRESENT
In a significant degree the present is the heritage of the past, and any
critical appraisement of the present must take cognizance of the
influence of the past. That there are weak places in our present
civilization, no one will deny; nor will it be denied that the sources of
some of these may be found in the past. We have it on good authority
that "the fathers have eaten sour grapes and the children's teeth are set
on edge." Had the eating of sour grapes in the past been more restricted,
the present generation would stand less in need of dentistry. When we

take an inventory of the people of the present who are defective in body,
in mind, or in spirit, it seems obvious that the consumption of sour
grapes, in the past, must have been quite extensive. If the blood of the
grandfather was tainted, it is probable that the blood of the grandchild
is impure.
The defects of the present would seem to constitute a valid indictment
against the educational agencies of the past. These agencies are not
confined to the school but include law, medicine, civics, sociology,
government, hygiene, eugenics, home life, and physical training. Had
all these phases of education done their perfect work in the past, the
present would be in better case. It seems a great pity that it required a
world war to render us conscious of many of the defects of society. The
draft board made discoveries of facts that seem to have eluded the
home, the school, the family physician, and the boards of health. Many
of these discoveries are most disquieting and reflect unfavorably upon
some of the educational practices of the past. The many cases of
physical unfitness and the fewer cases of athletic hearts seem to have
escaped the attention of physical directors and athletic coaches, not to
mention parents and physicians. Seeing that one fourth of our young
men have been pronounced physically unsound, it behooves us to turn
our gaze toward the past to determine, if possible, wherein our
educational processes have been at fault.
The thoughtful person who stands on the street-corner watching the
promiscuous throng pass by and making a careful appraisement of their
physical, mental, and spiritual qualities, will not find the experience
particularly edifying. He will note many facts that will depress rather
than encourage and inspire. In the throng he will see many men and
women, young and old, who, as specimens of physical manhood and
womanhood, are far from perfect. He will see many who are young in
years but who are old in looks and physical bearing. They